Thief
by Allora Silverfield
Summary: With a dark past and a questionable future, Damien makes the decision to delve into the inner workings of the criminal organization Team Rocket, in his attempts to become one of the bests thieves of his time. He works for himself, no one else, and on the way he will meet many new people and face many moral questions. Will he make the right decisions? Even for the wrong reasons...
1. Recruitment

**_To my loving fans:_**

 ** _Hi everyone. I know it has been quite a long time since I have posted any kind of writing, and I am sorry for that. I'm going to make my explanation brief: My mom killed herself in June. These past few months have been absolute hell for me. I have lost all interest in anything I used to love. I_** _**couldn't even pretend to want to write. I couldn't stop crying for weeks at a time. Fortunately I have come to a better place in my mind this last month or so, and I felt the urge to write again. I needed an outlet to express myself once again, and I needed something to do just to keep myself distracted. And so I started this new project. I know that most of you are probably disappointed that I haven't picked up Allora Silverfield again, but have no fear, that story will be completed... eventually. I just felt like at this point in my life I needed to start something fresh, and so this story has been written from a darker, deeper place in my soul. I hope you enjoy it. I have the first few chapters written already, and I'll be posting at least those first few in 2 day increments. Please feel free to private message me with your concerns and questions, and I will gladly answer whatever you would like to know. I may not respond right away, but I'll get to you I promise.**_

 _ **My apologies**_

 _ **Silverfield**_

* * *

 _And when the walls caved in, I really didn't know where to hide. I stood, paralyzed, staring at my father, waiting for his direction. Waiting for him to tell me where to go; what to do. He was sitting at the kitchen table, a grim look on his face, hands folded in front of him. His eyes stared intently out of the hole in the wall, until he realized that I was staring at him._

" _Get in the closet with Nan," he whispered harshly. I nodded, turning quickly and ducking under the cracked table and sprinting to the back of the house. There was another loud crash, and I flinched, stumbling, and slamming his bedroom door behind me._

 _Nan was ducked in the closet, still with her white apron on. Her face turned from one of fear, to one of motherly concern. "Come here, child," she whispered quietly, holding her arms out. I leapt into them, cowering and burying my face into her bosom, like I used to do with mom on stormy nights._

 _The crashing noises had stopped, and I could hear boots marching around the kitchen. Lots of boots… lots of people. There was no talking. I sat shaking, Nan petting my head and quieting me, as we listened as hard as we could._

* * *

"Go!" ordered Damien, pointing towards the fence. Lucario turned, concern in his eyes, but Damien shook his head. "I'll be fine, get over the- agh!"

Bullets ripped through the air around him, and he turned, holding his hood down over his face, bag in his left fist. The guards were too far up the hill to get a clean shot. Zoroark was on her way down, her illusion having been broken by a bullet in the side. The guards' pokemon were baring down on them, and they sprinted down the hill. Damien tightened his grip around the bag, gritting his teeth.

"Zoroark, return!" he said, whipping out her pokeball and bathing her in red light, just as another gun fired. He turned back around; Lucario still hadn't moved.

"I said get out!" he yelled, but Lucario shook his head. Damien frowned. _We don_ _'_ _t have time for this._ "Don't be like this…" But his pokemon wouldn't budge. He shook his head, glancing up the hill one last time, hesitating. "Fine! Get over here."

He stopped running, with Lucario dashing and landing just in front of him. There were ten or so pokemon starting to surround them, the guards were too far up the hill for their guns to be of any use anymore. There were three poocheyena, three electrike, and four linoone. _Easy,_ thought Damien. _But we need to make this quick._

"Charmeleon, Swellow!" he called, tossing out two more pokeballs. His pokemon appeared in front of him, adrenaline pulsing through their veins. "Take care of them."

"Cha!" cried Charmeleon, unleashing a scorching hot flamethrower from his mouth. Instantly, half of the guard pokemon were down, or panicking. The grass was on fire, and the smoke was thick and black.

Damien looked at his bird pokemon and nodded. Swellow flapped her powerful wings, taking to the air, and fanning the flames on the ground. They spread, creating a wall of fire between Damien and the guard pokemon.

Damien glanced at Lucario. He could feel the aura pokemon's mind pushing against his own. He sighed, and gave a nod. Lucario grinned, charging an aura sphere, firing it into the flames. There was an explosion, the shockwave of which nearly knocking Damien off of his feet.

"Let's go!" he cried, knowing now was the time to make a getaway. He grimaced, hating having to use his pokemon in an escape. He knew that the more frequently that he used them, the more easily recognized he could be in the future.

He returned Charmeleon and Lucario, still clutching his bag, and whistled for Swellow. Since she was already out, he might as well use her to make his getaway. She dove, skimming along the ground, and he hopped up on her back.

"Shit!" he cursed, as his hood fell off his head. He reached back and pulled it back up, hoping no one saw. The smoke was thick enough, anyway. He tensed his legs, gripping onto Swellow's back, nearly falling back to the ground. But, they were long gone. The bird pokemon was extremely fast, and they had already made it over the fence.

He glanced back, watching the guards putting out the fire with their water pokemon. The building was virtually undamaged, aside from the hole in the glass he had cut, and the lock on the safe that he had broken. The only sign of him being there was… the giant fire in the courtyard. He sighed, gripping Swellow's neck, relishing in the cool breeze on his face. He took his hood off as they ascended into the clouds. Hopefully they won't remember which pokemon he used. And hopefully they hadn't seen his blonde hair when the hood of his cloak came off.

"Let's get back to Verdanturf," he said, patting his partner on the neck. Swellow nodded, angling her wings to the south.

* * *

"Mrs. Holloway?" Damien pushed the wooden door open. It was dark outside, and there wasn't a light on in the house. "Mrs. Holloway?" he asked again, quieter this time. He peered into the dark room, grip tensing.

There was a creak from the stairs, and a light switched on. It was… "Oh, Damien," said the elderly woman. "I'm so glad it's you. You scared me!" She smiled, her thin lips pulling to her cheekbones.

Damien smiled. "Sorry if I did, can I come in?"

Mrs. Holloway gestured for him to come inside. It was nearly 3am, and the old woman had stayed up much later than usual waiting for his arrival. She made her way into the kitchen, gesturing for Damien to follow. He shut the door behind him, glancing around the living area. It was very plain, with the dining table being set for one. He knew that Mrs. Holloway had lost her husband to cancer nearly a year prior, so the lonesome decor made sense. Still, he felt sorry for the old woman. Which was one of the reasons he had taken the job in the first place.

Mrs. Holloway came back out of the kitchen with a small bag in her hand. "Have a seat," she said, sitting on the couch herself. He took the chair across from her, turning sideways and leaning forward. He leaned his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him. "Did you manage alright?" she asked, curious.

He swung his bag in front of him, and reached in, pulling out a medium sized box. He placed it on the coffee table. "This is all that was in the safe," he said, hesitantly.

"That's all that I wanted, dear," she said, eyes immediately beginning to water. She leaned over, popping the lock on the box. Inside was a 9mm pistol, an ultra ball, and a giant pure blue sapphire.

Damien's eyes widened, not knowing what was inside until that very moment. "You see," she said. "This is why they wouldn't give it back to me after my husband died. The items within are very valuable." She lifted the sapphire, with it being nearly as big as her fist. "The government only gave me pieces of what he left to me in his will. It took me months to track down where they were hiding the other items. I had no idea the search would lead me to the governors personal safe." She shrugged. "But he steals enough from the people as it is. Why not steal from a dead man?"

Damien's eyes were still on the gem. He frowned. "That's why I do what I do, ma'am," he said. Damien had a bit of history stealing from the government. Sometimes for others, usually for himself. He was determined to become a better thief than his father. Better, even, than entire squads of Team Rocket grunts.

He shifted his attention. "What's in the ultra ball, if you don't mind me asking?"

Mrs. Holloway's smile broadened. "That is something else they took from me." She lightly picked up the ball, tossing it to the ground.

A pokemon appeared unlike any Damien had ever seen. It was a dinosaur of a pokemon, with a grey body and bat-like wings. It had the appearance of a dragon type, though he was unsure exactly what type it was. It had a large jaw, and a spiked tail.

"This is Aerodactyl," she said, smiling. The pokemon, hearing her voice, turned and blinked. It seemed to recognize her, and grinned, showing large sharp teeth.

"Aero!" it said, leaping into her lap. She scratched it on the nose, tears of joy running down her face.

"Oh I've missed you too," she said. She turned towards Damien once more. "You see, while mining gems, my husband would come across many pokemon fossils in his excavations. Most he would turn over to the Rustboro City Research Center, but the most unique, he would have revived and he would keep for himself."

Damien watched, happy for the old woman he had helped. He enjoyed much more the times when he stole to give back to others rather than himself.

He checked his watch, and stood from the chair. Mrs. Holloway stood as well. "Must you be off so soon?" she asked, reaching back down and picking up the small bag she had carried with her.

He nodded, frowning slightly. "I need to get back to my camp," he said, hesitantly. It was more than that, however. He felt as though he had been followed from the governor's safe. He couldn't place why; he had gotten away on Swellow without a hitch. But it was a gut feeling. And if there was anything Damien trusted with certainty, it was his gut.

The woman stood up, handing him the small bag. "Take this, as your reward," she said, looking down. Damien took the bag, surprised at how heavy it was. He pulled the string and opened it. Inside was quite a bit of money, and also a large, dark brown rock. He pulled the rock out, looking at it. It was dusty and jagged, and within he could see a large jaw bone slightly protruding, with sharp canine teeth jutting from the skeleton.

"What is this?" he asked. Mrs. Holloway stared, shrugging.

"We don't know," she said, referring to her late husband as well. "He found it on his last excavation, but died before taking it to the research center. He could not tell from looking at it exactly what kind of pokemon it is. He thought that perhaps, it's something new…" She shook her head, clearing her mind. "Whatever it is, though, he was going to keep and train himself. I figure that you would like to do this instead."

Damien hesitated, before nodding his head. "I would be honored."

He said his goodbyes and left the house, putting the small bag in his own larger backpack. He lifted his hood once again, before heading out into the night.

He took a side road, just along the treeline, making his way towards his hidden campsite. But he still had a clenching feeling in his gut. He heard something snap behind him, and whirled around, but nothing was there. He narrowed his eyes, fingering his poke belt, hand tightening around Zoroark's pokeball.

"Now, there's no need for all that," said a low voice from the trees.

Damien wasted no time, releasing Zoroark from her pokeball. Her illusion kicked in, causing her to appear as a seviper on release. She hissed, coiling next to Damien.

"Show yourself," he said, darkly. His hand went behind his back, feeling his knife in its holster.

From the trees came three people. The two on the sides were clearly underlings, wearing black pants and shirts, with small red R's on the sleeves. They wore black hats, covering their eyes. One was female, with silver hair protruding from the hat, pulled back in a ponytail. The other was male, his hair completely covered by the hat itself.

The man in the middle was obviously in charge. He seemed to glide, though with purpose in his step. His hair appeared black, but the dim moonlight revealed it to be a dark navy. He was tall, lean, and handsome. He wore dress pants and shoes, with a collared black shirt, still with an R engraved, though this time on the shirt pocket on his chest. He lifted his hands in the air, in a show of nonviolence, though the other two held pokeballs in their hands. Damien didn't relax one bit.

"What do you want, Rockets," he said. He had seen team Rocket members on more than one occasion, but had very few direct dealings with them. But he knew one thing: they were not to be trusted.

Team Rocket. Hated by some, praised by many, they were an interesting and controversial organization. They had become a significant presence in Hoenn in the last 20 years or so. Many people saw them as a liberation organization, sticking it to the corrupt government whenever possible. They did what they pleased, took what they wanted, and followed no law. And those who were dissatisfied with the current government were very supportive of Team Rocket's actions. Damien, though he hated to admit it, had always admired their organization. As someone who worked for himself, and tended not to follow the law either, he could identify with their members.

Also, Damien's father was a member of Team Rocket. That is, before he was killed.

"I only wanted to meet you in person, Damien," said the leader. Damien showed no reaction, though concerned about how he knew his name. The man noticed his demeanor. "Don't worry, we have only been following you for… about a day or so. We knew a lot about you, but a name we had not. Until Mrs. Holloway so gracefully revealed it in her conversation with you."

"Don't go near her," Damien said, emotionless. Zoroark hissed once more, her Seviper illusion as convincing as ever.

"Don't worry, we are interested in you, not her, my friend," he said. "My name is Vinnie, I am a current admin of Team Rocket. These are my personal guards," he said, gesturing to the grunts beside him. "We've been seeing a lot about you on the news recently, and we think you would make an excellent edition to our organization." He smiled, nodding in respect at Damien. "We would like you to come and work for us. We could offer you land, property, money… even protection."

"I don't need your protection," he said, though he could not hide the interest in his voice. Vinnie noticed as well.

"Of course you don't need it, I had no intention of insulting you," he said. "But… we could offer your own personal servants, any pokemon you could want… and the highest tech gear of our time." Vinnie laughed darkly. "And… did I mention the money?"

Damien at this time hesitated, moving his hand away from his knife. Vinnie smiled, genuine. "Okay, what do I have to do?" he asked. Zoroark canceled her illusion, appearing as herself, standing a foot taller than Damien.

Vinnie clasped his hands together. "Wonderful, stunning," he said. He looked back at Damien. "Before we can offer you these things, you must complete a major task for us, one that we believe your skills are most suited towards."

"Just tell me what I need to do," he repeated. Vinnie nodded. He took from his jacket an envelope, and a flip phone. He handed them both to Damien. "Details are in there. I would start in Rustboro, if I were you," he said. Damien looked down, analyzing the items in his hands.

"We will be seeing each other again, I am sure," Vinnie said. Damien nodded at him, agreeing to the terms. They stared at each other, wordless dialogue passing between them, until Vinnie nodded as well, turning suddenly, and gliding back into the woods. The two grunts stayed only a moment, before following closely after.

Again, he was alone. It felt like a dream almost, except now he held in his hand two items that could completely change his future. He glanced at Zoroark, who looked back at him, concerned.

"They're not bad people," he said to her. She narrowed her eyes in doubt. "They are just like me… do you think I'm a bad person?"

Zoroark shifted her illusion once more, becoming the human form that she preferred when out of her pokeball. She became a short, ebony haired girl, in jeans and a black shirt. Her hair was wild, and it was pulled back into a large, curly ponytail. She had large black ears and a bushy tail as well. She crossed her arms and shook her head in response to his question.

"Right. It's probably important to have some kind of connections at some point… right?"

Zoroark shrugged, and Damien sighed.

"Well, looks like we are headed to Rustboro."


	2. Doc: Retrieval of Metrinium

MISSION 404 - RETRIEVAL OF METRINIUM

DAMIEN by opening and reading this document you are agreeing to accept this TOP SECRET mission from VINNIE, ADMIN of Team Rocket (I.D. #35). By accepting and completing this mission, you will earn admission into Team Rocket and status as a THIEF, rank 2, with an I.D. #932.

Your TOP SECRET mission is briefed as the following:

You are to infiltrate the Pokemon League and retrieve the largest known stockpile of the material metrinium, an extremely rare element that is extremely powerful when used correctly. So powerful, that it is guarded in the largest safe in the region; the Champion's.

To infiltrate the league you must cooperate with a person or group of people of your choice, of which one of them must be completing the gym challenge to gain access to the Pokemon League. Each challenger of the Pokemon League can bring 6 guests with them when they challenge. By blending in as one of these guests, you will gain easy access to the Champion and his mansion.

Your personal pokemon are too strong to begin a gym challenge, and we do not want you to sign up for the gym challenge and put your name on paper and in the system. I am sure you do not wish this either. Therefore it is extremely important, and the first step of your mission, that you befriend someone who is entering into the gym challenge.

The usual starting gym for newcomers is the Rustboro City gym. This would be the best place for you to start in your efforts to make new friends.

Once you have gained their trust, aid them in any way possible to get them to the pokemon league. Once there, and once they have reached the Champion's chambers, this is where your actions come in. You must infiltrate, find, and retrieve the metrinium, bringing it to our hideout, the location of which will be revealed to you at some point during your mission.

The cell phone you have is a one way phone. It can only receive calls. And on your mission, you will receive calls with potential side missions to show your loyalty. Completing these successfully will earn you rewards. Failure… is not tolerated.

Team Rocket has faith in you, that you will honor us through service. Good luck to you. For liberation!

-Giovanni (I.D. #1)

#932 you have accepted this TOP SECRET mission from #35. This letter will SELF DESTRUCT when it is put back in the envelope. Please place the letter back in the envelope and take a few steps back. Thank you and have a great day.


	3. Rustboro

_A man kicked in the bedroom door. Damien could hear his heavy boots pounding the hardwood floor. He bent and looked under the bed, and tromped over to the closet. He flung the door open. "I found them!" he called into the other room. Damien cowered into Nan's chest even tighter. He smiled down at them, evilly. He had a large arbok neck tattoo. She put her arms around him, scowling at the man before them._

 _Two others marched into the room. One was wearing black clothes, same as the first, with large red R's on their chest. The other was in a suit, nicely pressed. He was young, with brown hair and a clean shaven face._

" _Admin, should we dispose of them?" asked the first, hand reaching for a gun at his side. The other was nodding his head, smiling evilly at Nan._

 _He started to take his gun out, when the man in the suit held up his hand, stopping him._

" _They didn't have any part of this. We will let them go. Innocent human lives will not be taken." He looked between them, the authority in his voice and gaze was absolute. The man with the arbok tattoo lowered his gun._

 _They turned to leave the room, when there was a loud gunshot. "Dad!" cried Damien, terror in his voice. He tried to push off Nan, but she held him tighter, refusing to let him stand. Her tears wet his shirt as he struggled. "Dad!" he screamed again._

" _You see, boy," said the man with the arbok tattoo, he turned in the doorway to face them. "That's what happens when you bring shame to Team Rocket." He laughed sadistically, slamming the door behind him as he left._

—

It was a Wednesday afternoon and Rustboro City was busy as ever. It was the center of archaeology and geology in Hoenn, not only being home to the Rustboro City Research Center, but also the University of Rustboro, the world's most prestigious college of archaeology, including programs in paleontology, geology, anthropology, and pokemon runic studies as well.

It was also home to the rock type gym and its leader, Roxanne. Her father was a professor at the university, teaching geology of course. Roxanne's gym was the traditional second gym to battle in Hoenn, however it is possible to battle the gyms in any order if you wished to do so. Because of her location near Professor Birch's lab to the south, where many young trainers received their starting pokemon, it was only natural for it to be this way. The first gym that most trainers battle is the Petalburg City gym; a normal type gym with its leader, Norman.

Gym leaders have twelve pokemon to choose from in their battle roster, and can choose any number of pokemon per battle based on the amount of badges that the challenger had received and the number of pokemon that they have. Once upon a time, Damien had taken the gym challenge, only defeating three gyms before deciding he enjoyed the life of a thief much, much more.

Damien had arrived in Rustboro City from the north, landing just outside of the city on Swellow before walking through the gates. He wanted to visit the Research Center before scouting out the gym for trainers that he could persuade to let him accompany on their journey. He was dressed in normal street clothes, keeping his black cloak tucked away in his bag unless he needed it. He wore relaxed jeans, a black polo shirt, and a nice watch… that he may or may not have stolen.

It was windy, the sea breeze carrying with it a salty smell. It gave the whole city a refreshing atmosphere. To the east is the Rustboro Tunnel, an excavation site that gave birth to the rocky atmosphere of the city. The rare fossils and materials discovered there nearly 50 years ago caused a spike in economic growth, leading to rapid population growth as well. Only a small town then, the city of Rustboro grew to be one of the largest in the region.

The research center was a large, brick building, one of the oldest in the area. Green vines scaled the walls, covering some spots so thick you couldn't see below them. Damien paused outside, the people and pokemon around him walking past as if he didn't exist, on their own personal missions. A large statue of an anorith and lileep were on either side of the doorway, mounted to the walls. These two pokemon fossils were the first to be successfully revived in the lab. The statues were cast in bronze, faded and worn from years of exposure.

There was a user friendly, sophisticated system that allowed any trainer that discovered a fossil to bring it in and have it revived. Even if the fossil was only a claw or tooth, new advances in DNA cloning and genetics allowed the scientists to create an entirely new pokemon from the body parts within minutes. Damien wasn't interested in the basic cloning though, he knew that if his fossil was indeed unique he would need to seek out a scientist at first.

"Excuse me," he said, heading to the front desk. He explained his situation, and the woman smiled, calling over an intercom and sending Damien on an elevator. It wasn't uncommon for trainers to believe that their fossil was unique and to want to speak to someone about its revival. Most times, those trainers were incorrect, and the fossil was common, such as a kabuto or omanyte.

However, when Damien showed the man in the lab coat that had come to meet him the jaw fossil that he had found, he was puzzled. "I can't identify this right away, we will have to go straight into the revival process to discover its origin if that is okay with you?" he asked. Damien shrugged, handing it over.

"If that's what it takes," he said. The scientist took the fossil.

"I just want to let you know, while you do get to keep the pokemon, the fossil itself and DNA records will belong to the Research Center. Is this acceptable?" the man asked, taking out his phone. He produced a contract on its screen, with a stylus to sign. Damien took the pen and scribbled a line to give his permission.

"Sounds good to me," he said. He was directed to a waiting room, more private as he was on the fourth floor, away from the general public. He released Zoroark who took her human form. Her large dog-like ears twitched, hearing the machines in the other room working on the revival. She wagged her tail and sat next to him.

"This better be worth my time," he mumbled, checking his nice shiny watch. He smiled, remembering how he got it. It hadn't been part of his mission at the time, to steal the watch, but the asshole had been wearing it when Seviper had used hypnosis, and he just couldn't resist. He was a rich greedy man anyway, he probably wouldn't notice it was even gone, what with him having an entire section of his closet devoted to watches.

Damien liked to take trophies to remember each job. He probably would have stolen something from Mrs. Holloway's house, had she not given him the fossil. Just something small, like an earring or pendant. He sighed, remembering a glass case with a set of old silver spoons. One of those would have been nice…

"Sir?" called the scientist, opening the door of the waiting room. He had a broad smile on his face. "Good news, the revival process went well. Come with me." He held the door open as Damien stood and walked through, followed by Zoroark. She eyed the scientist warily, sticking tightly to Damien's side.

Turns out the fossil Damien had brought in wasn't quite original. However, it was quite rare, with the pokemon it produced being a recent discovery by labs in the Kalos region. The pokemon was called Tyrunt, a prehistoric carnivorous pokemon. It had a large head with a formidable set of teeth.

Damien thanked the scientist, taking his new partner's pokeball and heading out into the city once again. There had been enough DNA to clone two other Tyrunt, including a female, which they were very happy about. Damien had gotten one of the males, leaving the other two to be transferred to a special wildlife reserve in northern Hoenn, where many prehistoric pokemon were sent to be bred and raised in captivity.

It was pretty late in the afternoon when he got out of there. The sun was setting to the west over the ocean, and there weren't nearly as many people in the streets, as most had managed to get back to their houses by that time. The pokemon center had free lodging for trainers, no questions asked. So he decided to get a room.

The rooms had one twin bed each, and then several small beds for pokemon. They had a laundry service, where trainers could drop off their clothes in the bin with their room number, and the healing pokemon in the center would do laundry for you and have it outside of your room in the morning. The Hoenn region pokemon center pokemon included delcatty, wigglytuff, and bellossom.

Damien tossed his bag on the bed, sitting for a second and stretching his back. He reached around and tossed out five of his pokeballs, keeping the newest one in his hand. Lucario and Zoroark stood close to each other, as always. Swellow immediately hopped over to the windowsill to perch. And Seviper coiled on one of the smaller beds, paying attention to Damien. Charmeleon stretched and yawned, tail flame growing in size as he did so. Seviper backed away and hissed softly, the flame nearly touching her scales.

"Okay, guys," Damien began. They all looked at him, curious. Lucario and Zoroark ran over to the bed to sit beside him. He grinned, looking down at the pokeball in his hand. He held it up for all of them to see. "We have a new team member," he said. They all looked on, excited. "And he is just a baby, so we have to train him to be strong, right?"

"Car," barked Lucario, pounding a fist into his paw. Zoroark nodded, silent like usual. The others made their respective noises of approval, eagerly eying the pokeball that he held.

"Okay," he said, nervous himself. "This is Tyrunt."

He tossed the ball onto the ground and the T-Rex pokemon appeared in its place. He blinked, eyes adjusting, and jumped back when he saw the other pokemon staring at him, surprised.

"Ty!" he cried, turning around, realizing he was surrounded. He crouched to the ground, terrified, holding his tiny arms up to cover his eyes. He was whimpering, shaking in fear. Damien frowned, kneeling on the floor next to his new pokemon.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's okay…" He put his hand on the pokemon's hard head, scratching his scales. They were extremely tough, rocklike. Tyrunt slowly moved one of his claws from his face, looking at Damien.

"I'm your new trainer," Damien said, introducing himself. "I'm Damien." He gestured to his other pokemon. "This is Swellow, Charmeleon, Seviper…" he looked behind him. "Lucario and Zoroark." The two smiled from their position sitting on the bed, waving.

Tyrunt stood up again, looking around. Damien's pokemon were all smiles. Charmeleon was closest, and he was also the closest in height to Tyrunt. He approached slowly and held out a claw in introduction. "Char," he said. Tyrunt looked at his claw, confused. Charmeleon rolled his eyes and grabbed Tyrunt's hand and shook it.

Warily Tyrunt shook back, looking around the room at the rest of the pokemon. He wasn't cowering as much anymore, but he was quiet and stood still. Damien leaned forward, patting him on the nose.

"You want some alone time in your ball?" he asked. Tyrunt nodded vigorously, as if Damien had read his mind. The trainer smiled, pressing the button once more and bathing Tyrunt in a red light. He minimized the ball and clipped it back to his belt.

"Well," he said, looking around. "I think that went well."

—

Later that evening, after the sun had set, Damien decided to go for a walk. The pokemon center in Rustboro was giant, with many areas for recreation. There was the obvious, the hospital area, where sick pokemon were healed almost instantly in giant machines called Daisy Machines. A DNA polymer enhanced with the healing powers of pokemon was applied to injured areas of the body, healing almost any wound. In fact, the only wounds that a Daisy Chamber couldn't heal completely on both pokemon and humans were injuries to the brain.

There was also a workout gym, for people and pokemon alike to keep up with their fitness. There was a music center with rentable instruments, a pokemon daycare, and a public cafeteria. But Damien was headed outside to the courtyard, to the recreational battlefields.

He hadn't had a legitimate battle in a while, due to him being so busy with work. And he was hoping he would be able to at least have his pokemon spar with each other. He walked out of the sliding doors, the breeze feeling amazing on his face. The nighttime weather was perfect, with only a slight chill from the wind.

There were four battlefields in the corners of the outside area, and three of them were empty. But it was the occupied one that captured Damien's attention.

It was two girls, sparing their pokemon. One was yelling at the other one, but Damien was too far away to hear. He walked closer, heading to the bleachers to observe.

"- never beat Roxanne with all fire types!" he heard one of them yell. She was obviously older, with long bright red hair.

"I don't even want to battle her anyway!" growled the other girl. She was smaller, with light blonde hair, also long and straight. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white. But what was interesting about her wasn't her hair. It was that she was an Anthro.

Anthro's were humans that had pokemon-like characteristics. They made up about 10% of the total human population, and were common sights in the general public. Most people treated them like normal human beings. A small minority, however, believed that Anthro's were the spawn of the devil. Demons whose sole existence was to bring disaster upon humanity. Some even went as far as to say that their parents had fornicated with a pokemon to create them, and therefore they were abominations to nature.

Nevertheless, Damien was in the majority in his beliefs, believing what the science told them; that Anthro's were created due to a parent having a deep connection with a pokemon partner, and that connection altering a child's DNA. Sometimes Anthro's could even be created because the mother was injured by a pokemon during pregnancy, and their DNA entered her bloodstream.

This girl had pointed ears with fur the same white blonde color as her hair, and she had nine long tails sprouting from her backside. They were raised in the air, stiffened with her adrenaline from the battle. Damien took a seat on the bleachers to watch.

The two girls were Melanie and Cassidy Underwood, two sisters who were as different as they were close. They were best friends, being only two years apart in age, Melanie was the youngest, the blonde Anthro was just over five foot tall, and she was 18 years old. Cassidy was the oldest, and was far more experienced in two felt very different about the proper way to capture, raise, and train pokemon. And pretty much everything else.

"You have to capture pokemon of different types if you ever want to win!" shouted Cassidy over the clash of their pokemon. Her vaporeon stood its ground, as Melanie's ponyta reared on its back legs in preparation for a stomp. "Dodge it!" she commanded. The water type gracefully rolled away, narrowly dodging the ponyta's hooves.

"Maybe winning isn't everything!" cried Melanie. Her ears pointed forward. "Use fire spin!" The ponyta leapt back, opening its mouth and spitting a tornado of flames at the vaporeon.

The flames wrapped themselves around the water type, creating a barrier in which it was stuck. It growled, curling its blue tail around to cover its face. "Use aqua ring and jump out of the flames!" ordered Cassidy. The vaporeon stood straight and closed its eyes, its body glowing a teal blue, glistening in the fire light. It leapt out of the fire right in front of the ponyta. "Use water pulse!"

The vaporeon jumped into the air, opening its mouth and blasting the ponyta with a burst of water. It knocked the ponyta to the ground, where it stayed.

"Good job," Cassidy said, returning the vaporeon to its pokeball. Melanie ran over to her ponyta, her nine tails streaking behind her.

"We should take her into the pokemon center," she said, defeated. She returned the fire pokemon into its pokeball. Suddenly, both of them turned, noticing Damien watching them for the first time.

"Who are you?" they said in unison. They looked at each other, scowling.

Damien shrugged. "Just someone passing through. I was enjoying your battle… Did you say you were going to be challenging Roxanne tomorrow?" he said, directing his question at Melanie.

"I guess…" she muttered. "I mean I don't really want to, but Cass insists on it. She says that a trainers strength…"

"… Is only measured by the badges they have earned," finished the other girl. She held out her hand to Damien. "I'm Cassidy, this is Melanie. We're sisters, if you can't tell."

Damien shook her hand. "Nice to meet you…" He turned back to Melanie. "So if you don't want to battle gyms like her, then what do you do?"

"I collect fire types!" she said. Then she shook her head, looking at Cass. "Hey, we need to get Bella to the pokemon center."

Damien noted that she nicknamed her pokemon. "If you'd like, I can give you a few tips about Roxanne," he said to her as she was turning away. But Cass rounded on him.

"Please, don't even. I'm an exceptional trainer and if I can't teach her anything, what makes you think that you can?" she scoffed. Damien shrugged.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve," he said. Cass eyed him, tasting the implied challenge in her mouth.

"Oh really. Are your pokemon IV and EV trained?" she asked him. He furrowed his brow, confused.

"IV… Eevee like the pokemon?" he asked. Melanie rolled here eyes.

"You're doing that thing again…" she hinted at Cassidy. "Where you're talking about things that no one understands…"

"Ugh! Whatever," she said. She walked back over to the battle field, leaving Melanie behind.

"Hey!" said the Anthro. But Cassidy ignored her.

"Okay, if you can beat me in a 1v1 match," she began, eying Damien. "You can help out my little sister, AND you can come to the match with us tomorrow." She smiled evilly.

Damien moseyed over to the other side of the battlefield. "Sounds fair to me," he said.

"What about Bella!" cried Melanie, waving her hands about.

"Oh, come on, you're 18," Cass said, waving her hands. "You can take your pokemon to the pokemon center by yourself." She grinned. "I'll be right here when you're done."

Melanie sighed, turning tail and heading into the pokemon center by herself. Damien stretched his arms up over his head. It was getting late, but the street lamps were still shining bright, anticipating their battle.

Cass grabbed a pokeball and tossed it out onto the battlefield. "Sceptile, I choose you!" she said. In the flash of light appeared the tall, grass type pokemon. Cass wasn't going easy, choosing her best pokemon for the 1v1.

Damien nodded, quickly deciding which pokemon he would use to retaliate. "Seviper, let's do this," he said. The snake pokemon appeared in front of him, hissing.

Cass nodded, admiring his type countering choice. "Impressive," she said. "I guess you're not clueless after all." She flicked her red hair out of her face, and then narrowed her eyes. "Sceptile use dual chop!"

"Dodge it, Seviper!" Damien called. But he had never seen a Sceptile this fast. Before he could do anything, the Sceptile was already on his pokemon. He struck Seviper in the back of the head once, and then again on her back near her tail.

Seviper hissed in pain, curling up. Damien wasn't going to win this one playing passive. "Okay, poison fang, let's go!"

Sceptile wasn't the only speedy pokemon. Faster than the eye could see, Seviper lashed out her head, latching onto Sceptile's tail. The grass type roared, flicking his tail back and forth to shake off the poison type. But she had stayed latched on too long. The poison began to take, weakening Sceptile with every second.

"Good job," Damien called to his pokemon. "Now let's finish with venoshock!"

"Stun spore!" ordered Cass, and as Seviper moved in for the finishing move, Sceptile flicked his tail again, scattering spores all over the snake, paralyzing her.

Her joints felt stiff, and she was unable to land her attack. But Damien smiled, preparing for his next move.

"Steady…" he mumbled. Seviper knew as well, that her ability would help her shake off the paralysis in the next few seconds. Her scales were already shedding off, taking the spores with them.

"Okay, finish this with leaf blade!" Cass said. Sceptile started to move towards the Seviper. "And I know grass isn't very effective against poison," she said, explaining herself. "But leaf blade is a STAB attack for Sceptile, and should do enough damage to-"

"Now! Venoshock!" Damien said. The paralysis had completely shed from Seviper, and she slithered beneath Sceptile, stabbing upward with her tail. Venoshock is an especially effective move against pokemon that are poisoned, and this example was no exception. Sceptile went flying, landing on the ground, out for the count.

Cassidy's mouth dropped open, with all of this happening just as Melanie came skipping out of the pokemon center, tails blowing in the breeze.

"How was the battle Cass…" she said, starting off the sentence excitedly but quieting down as she neared the battlefield, seeing Sceptile knocked out on the ground, and Seviper quietly coiled up beside him.

"Oh…" she said, ears folded back against her skull. Cass quietly took out her pokeball and returned Sceptile.

"Guess this means I get to come to the gym with you guys tomorrow, right?" Damien asked, smiling.

Cass glared at him. "Forget it," she snarled, whirling around.

"Woah woah woah," he said, holding a hand out. "That's not what we agreed on!"

"Well that's what's gonna happen!" she said, storming off towards the pokemon center. Damien and Melanie followed close behind.

"You did make a bet…" Melanie said, frowning.

Cass stopped in her tracks, whirling around with Damien nearly running into her. She stood less than an inch away from him, though was still a good six inches shorter than him. "Fine," she said lowly. "You can come with us. But only until I can beat you. I hope you're okay with having a new rival, because you don't have much of a choice."

She spun around again and kept walking, with Damien and Melanie standing still, stunned. Melanie's ears were still flattened, and each of her nine tails was standing at attention in shock.

"Well…" she said, looking at him. They started walking once more. "Welcome to the pack."


	4. Doc: Pamphlet about Arcunism

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO THE RELIGION OF THE POKEMON UNIVERSE: ARCEUNISM

MAJOR GODS:

Arceus: Creator of all things. Essence within humans and pokemon. Everything and nothing. Devine beginning.

Dialga: First of the Creation Trio. Created by Arceus to start the flow of Time. Lord of all things that have passed and all things to come.

Palkia: Second of the Creation Trio. Created by Arceus to form a medium in which time would flow: Space. Lord of all things to have ever existed and will ever exist.

Giratina: Third of the Creation Trio. Created by Arceus to control all things outside of the realm of Time and Space; the Distortion World (also known as the Underworld.) This became later the place to which ghost pokemon would disappear to, as well as where the souls of dead pokemon and people departed after death.

Mew: The first of all pokemon. Was created in the Space, but wandered aimlessly for many years, alone and saddened. Arceus saw this and decided to create a home for Mew to live.

Ho-Oh: Lord of the sun and sky. Reigns in the clouds over the atmosphere.

Lugia: Lord of the sea, relentless and churning. Reigns at the depths of the ocean.

Groudon: To create land for Mew to live on. However, to balance the expansion of the land, Arceus also created:

Kyogre: To bring rainfall and balance with the land, to ensure neither would ever fully overtake the other.

Rayquaza: Created to quell the tempers of the sea and land, and make their interactions peaceful.

SEMI MAJOR GODS:

Entie, Suicune, Raiku: Created to give life to the land itself. Suicune created rivers and lakes to provide fresh water. Entei created Volcanoes and lava for warmth and life. Raikou created thunder and electricity, which balanced the atmosphere with the earth.

Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres: Created nearly at the same time. Articuno brought with it a chill to the earth, to cool down the heat from the volcanoes. Moltres created fire, a substance that was almost alive, but nonliving. Zapdos created thunderstorms, mixing the lightning from Raikou and the rain from Kyogre. From thunderstorms, rain could spread across the land and bring fresh water.

Regice, Registeel, Regirock: Created the elements of the earth. Rock was first, Steel within the rock, and Ice at the poles.

Regigigas: Responsible for the movement of the land atop the sea. (Movement of the continents.)

Darkrai, Cresselia: Guardians of sleep, dreams, and the subconscious. Nightmares come from Darkrai, and pleasant dreams from Cresselia.

EARLY DOCTRINE

All was good but Mew was still wandering alone, as the other pokemon needed to attend to their duties. And so the first normal pokemon were created:

Fire Ninetales

Arcanine

Normal Eevee

Tauros

Grass Sceptile

Cherrim

Water Milotic

Luminion

Electric Ampharos

Raichu

Rock Rampardos

Gigalith

Ice Beartic

Glalie

Ground Donphan

Hippowdon

Psychic Alakazam

Gothitelle

Dark Mighteyena

Liepard

Dragon Dragonair

Haxorus

Ghost Dusknoir

Mismagius

Flying Pidgeot

Swellow

Poison Arbok

Seviper

Fairy Florges

Clefable

Fighting Machamp

Mienshao

Steel Steelix

Aggron

Bug Pinsir

Krickitune

From these monotype pokemon sprung all other pokemon. They could each intermingle and breed with one another, spawning every type combination imaginable. From these all others came, excluding those other legendaries created by Arceus.

Arcus saw this, and it was good. And he was pleased. But something was missing, for the pokemon he had created, while intelligent in their own way, were incapable of higher thinking, philosophy, and future thought. Even Mew, the first, was still lacking in nearly all areas. And while she was more advanced, there was still something missing. So after thousands of years, Arceus decided to intervene once more. He made rules between the pokemon, making it so that only certain types could breed with one another. And he created man in an image of himself. With man he created:

Uxie, Azelf, Mesprit: Uxie, knowledge, Azelf willpower, Mesprit emotion.

Man he created to be a perfect partnership with the pokemon. They noticed the pokemons' love for challenging and battling each other, and merged with that willingly. Humans knew new ways to make pokemon stronger. They were excellent leaders, and the pokemon followed.

An evil group of pokemon hated man and plotted to overthrow them. They told two lords lies about the others, and split families apart. They caused a great war, and thus Arceus once more stepped in and created

Cobalion, Terrakion, Verizion, Keldeo: These pokemon were used to end the first war. When the war ended Arceus took the power of human speech from the pokemon as punishment, to prevent them from ever starting a war such as that one.

 **This pamphlet is the property of the Rustboro Church of Arceunism.**


	5. Monachopsis

" _Nan! Nan!_ _"_ _cried Damien, smile on his face as he raced through the house._ _"_ _Nan!_ _"_ _he said, stopping in the living room, looking around for her._

" _I_ _'_ _m in here, dear,_ _"_ _she called from the kitchen. Damien sprinted through the doorway, sliding on the tile floor to a stop._

" _Nan! It_ _'_ _s my birthday today_ _…_ _and Professor Oak gave me a pokemon!_ _"_ _he said, excited, holding up his pokeball._

 _Nan, who was turned to the sink, washing dishes, turned and gave him a huge smile. Damien_ _'_ _s smile quickly faded, as he noticed her black eye. He looked away, feeling something clench in his gut. He had learned not to ask about Nan_ _'_ _s injuries though, as she had told him that asking about them would only make them get worse._

" _Well come on,_ _"_ _she said, as if nothing was different._ _"_ _Let_ _'_ _s see him then!_ _"_ _she said excitedly._

 _Damien smiled again, less enthusiastic than before._ _"_ _Okay, come on out Charmander!_ _"_ _he said, proudly beaming at his new pokemon. The fire lizard pokemon charmander stood before them, looking up at Damien with pride._

" _Char!_ _"_ _he said, and Damien grinned._

" _You and I are gonna change the world!_ _"_ _he said. Nan bent down and patted Charmander on his scaly head._

" _That you are_ _…"_ _she said._ _"_ _That you are._ _"_

—

The gym battle didn't last long… unfortunately. Roxanne was able to wipe out each of Melanie's pokemon with just her geodude. You could tell she felt bad, regretfully calling out the command for her pokemon to use rock tomb each time. All three of her pokemon were wiped out in just one or two moves.

Her torchic was first, taking only one boulder to the face before fainting on the ground. Her vulpix was the same, lasting less than a minute on the battlefield. Her ponyta at least slightly put up a fight. It lasted twice as long as the other two combined, but still failed to even scratch the geodude.

"I'm sorry dear…" said Roxanne after the battle, coming up to shake Melanie's hand after the battle, ridden with guilt. "Have you ever considered adding a water type to your team?" she suggested. Melanie glared at her, staring daggers into her soul. "Or not…" sighed Roxanne, finishing the handshake and nodding her head. "Good luck with the rest of your journey," she said.

Melanie kept a straight face, marching out of the gym like a champ with Damien and Cassidy following. The older girl had been in a better mood that day. At least, until now. Damien still felt like cringing after watching the absolute blowout that was that battle. Even his advice he had given hadn't done anything to lessen the pain.

Cassidy's feeling was one of smug finality. As they exited the gym, Melanie headed straight to a bench and sat down. She had a blank expression, and Damien and Cass came around to stand in front of her, looking down. They were all silent for a second… And Cassidy started the dialogue.

"I TOLD you so," she said, the words bursting out of her. Melanie sniffled, and then burst into tears, sobbing and covering her hands with her face. Cassidy paid no mind. "If you had just listened to me, you wouldn't have lost like that." Melanie cried harder. "You and I both know that I'm right about this. You can't just keep collecting fire types if you ever want to win battles!"

"I… Don't… Want… To… Win battles!" Melanie forced the words out through her sobs. She looked up at Cassidy angrily, mascara dripping down her cheeks. "I don't care about badges!"

"Well, you're never going to be a real trainer without badges," she continued, looking at her fingernails. Melanie looked back down, still crying. "Whatever, stop being a baby and go catch a water type or something." She continued crying, refusing to respond.

Damien cleared his throat, with Cassidy looking over at him. "Um… Maybe this isn't the best way to go about… this." He gestured at the sobbing Melanie.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "I'm just stating facts. She'll get over it."

Damien frowned, looking back at Melanie. Her crying was starting to die down. He looked back at Cassidy. "Do you mind if I talk to her for a sec alone?" he asked.

Cass put her hands on her hips. "And why exactly would you want to do that. Can you not say whatever you're gonna say in front of me?"

Damien narrowed his eyes. "I could, but I think you're doing more harm than good right now."

"Don't tell me how I should talk to my sister!" she said. If looks could kill, Damien would have died that day. They glared at each other.

"Just give me five minutes," he said. He wasn't asking. She threw her hands up in the air, stomping away.

"You have three minutes!" she called behind her. Damien sighed, watching as she flipped him the bird over her head as she walked away. He shook his head, sitting next to Melanie on the bench.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She was shaking a little, and he was worried that she was still crying. But instead, she raised her head, a giggle slipping through her smile.

"That whole interaction between you two was hilarious," she said, wiping tears off of her face. "If anything made me feel better it was you guys arguing just now."

Damien blinked, before smiling back. "Yeah, I guess." He looked over at Cass, who had let out her Sceptile to talk to and vent. "Is she always like that?"

Melanie shook her head. "She just has a really weird way of getting her point across… And by weird I mean that she'll say whatever she needs to say, and if you don't wanna hear it, that's too bad." She smiled at her sister. "She is just worried about me, and wants me to be able to protect myself. And I mean, I get it. She wants me to be strong. But she forgets that I'll be well protected with my fire pokemon." She shrugged. "I mean, it's not like I'm collecting grass types."

Damien stared at her, only slightly understanding. "So… you guys are gonna be okay after this?"

"Oh yeah," she confirmed. "I mean, I get on her nerves just as much as she gets on mine. Just in a different way. But… if anyone else made me cry? She would probably actually kill them."

Cassidy was checking her watch, glaring over at Melanie and Damien every few minutes. "So you're going to be okay?" he repeated once again.

"Yes, Damien," she said, looking at him. "Cass will get over it in like five minutes and then she'll apologize. To both of us. Just wait. I bet you." She smiled at him. He stared into her eyes, yellow and flecked with amber specks. They were… beautiful.

"Okay, time's up!" Cassidy said, storming over at exactly three minutes on the dot. "I hope you two are finished with whatever you're talking about." For a split second she looked a bit shocked that Damien had actually gotten Melanie to stop crying, but she snapped herself out of it. "Come on, we need to get moving if you want to catch a water type."

"Sis…" Melanie said, standing up and looking at her. Cassidy stared back, judgement pouring out of her very soul. Melanie cleared her throat. "I don't want to battle the gyms."

Cassidy frowned, as if she was only hearing that for the first time. "Well, why not?"

"I think I can be plenty strong with a team full of badass fire types. I'll be safe. And I'll be happy." Cass frowned, and Melanie pressed on. "Don't you want me to be happy? Battling gyms… that's not something I enjoy. It's what you enjoy, and that's okay! But let me be happy my own way… okay?"

Cass was silent. Sceptile looked down at her, cynically. She sighed. Looking down. "I… guess," she said quietly. Damien was stunned by her sudden change in mood.

Melanie smiled. "Well good. Why don't we move on to your next gym challenge?" she asked.

Suddenly, Cassidy was back to her usual self. "Fine, let's get moving then. We need to go find out where Viktor holed up for the night." Melanie and Cass started walking south, towards the forest. Melanie turned around, smiling at him.

"You coming, Damien?" she asked. Cassidy shook her head, throwing her hands in the air in defeat.

He nodded, shaking his head and moving to follow them. "Viktor?" asked Damien, as he jogged to catch up.

The sisters grinned at each other. "Oh… you'll like Viktor," Cass said evilly. Damien wasn't sure what to expect, as they headed into the Petalburg Woods.

—

The pokemon center had taken hardly any time to heal up Melanie's pokemon before they set off into the forest. And so, with everyone fresh and ready to go, they set off in search of Viktor.

"Vik!" they called, the three of them, as they marched through the woods. Sceptile followed, completely relaxed in the greenery of the forest. He was a good couple feet taller than Damien, and was able to see farther into the woods.

"Why does he sleep out here, not in the pokemon center?" inquired Damien. Melanie shrugged, looking off into the distance.

"He has some weird thing with hospitals. He hates them… And I mean I can't blame him for it," she said ominously. Damien felt tempted to ask more questions, but he resisted.

Suddenly, Sceptile pointed ahead, grunting. Deep in the forest was a tent, and Melanie and Cass grinned, seeing it too.

"Vik!" they called, running towards it. Damien stayed back, observing from afar as he always did.

The camp sight was well structured. There was a fire pit filled with ashes, and a large black tent neatly pitched in a clearing. It looked like some of the tree branches had been chopped with some kind of machete… Damien creeped closer, with Melanie and Cass farther ahead of him.

The tent was rustling, and the two girls ran to it, excited. Damien stood at the edge of the clearing, slightly hidden.

Out from the tent stepped one of the largest men Damien had seen in his whole life. He was at least six and a half feet tall, and three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He had a shaved head, a handlebar mustache, and he was absolutely covered in tattoos from his neck down. He came out of the tent, and smiled, hugging the two girls. It looked almost comical, as they were so short, and he was so giant.

"Hello, my lovelies," he said, having a rough british accent. "How are yous today?"

Melanie sighed. "I lost the gym battle," she said, looking down.

"Well, I could have told you that!" She looked at him, glaring. He laughed, a booming, earth shaking laugh that Damien imagined could be heard for miles. "I'm kidding, lass. I know you aren't as interested in those battles anyway."

She nodded smiling. Then, it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. She looked over at Damien, smiling. "Come meet Viktor!" she said, waving him over. Damien's eyes widened, and he shook his head, suddenly more nervous than ever. The big man's demeanor had instantly changed when he saw Damien, eyes turning into black soulless holes, analyzing Damien down to his scuffed shoes.

"Who is tha'?" he asked, releasing the girls from their hugs and standing to his full height, cracking his knuckles. He turned slightly, showing Damien not only his full roster of pokeballs, but also a giant sheathed machete on his belt. "Come here lad, let's see you."

Damien swallowed, his throat feeling exceedingly dry. He eased his way into the clearing, physically feeling how much taller Viktor was than him with every step he took.

Viktor, bent down to look Damien in the eye. "I can see here Melanie has been cryin'. Did you do that?"

Melanie jumped in front of Damien with the save, holding her tails up to make kind of a wall between Viktor and Damien. "No, Vik, that was just Cass again."

He relaxed, giving Cass a gentle shove. "Come on now, lass, you have to stop doing that to your sister!"

"Yeah, I know," she said. She had been staring at Damien the entire time, enjoying his demeanor around Viktor way more than she should. "Anyways, this is Damien, he is my new rival, and he is traveling with us until I can beat him in a battle."

"Oh? You lost to him already?" said Vik, surprised, having slightly more respect for Damien. But not much.

"Yeah, but he got lucky," growled Cassidy. She spun around, starting to pack up some of Viktor's things. "Okay, we need to get to Lavaridge Town. That will give me my fifth badge. And then I'll be on the home stretch with only the flying, psychic, and water gyms left to go." She sighed, smiling. "And then, on to the elite four!"

Damien was beyond pleased as he heard that Cass was already on her fifth badge, but he kept a straight face. He really couldn't screw up this deal he had going on now.

"Wow… that's awesome that you're on your fifth badge," he said casually to Cass, as they began packing up the tent. She scowled at him.

"Uhuh, thanks," she said. She turned to Vik once more. "We are going to have to take the Rustboro tunnel to Verdanturf, and then through Mauville, up the mountain to reach the gym. You up for it?" she asked.

Vik nodded, giving Cass a sly grin. "Of course I am, look at me! I just hope I'm not carrying you three by the time we get there."

"Um… are we walking?" asked Damien. The others turned to stare at him. He felt uncomfortable, but continued. "I mean, like, couldn't we just use flying type pokemon?"

Cass rolled her eyes. "Not all of us have our Fly Licenses like you do, apparently. I just said I'm getting my fifth badge. And you have to have five badges to get a License." She stood up on her soap box. "And, since apparently you already have yours, you still can only take one other trainer as a passenger at one time. So once I get mine, it will be even easier to get to Fortree City! We can all ride together."

"Yeah, I'll ride with you, pretty boy," said Viktor. Damien swallowed again.

Did he have a Fly License? No. Of course not.

"Is battling gyms the only way to get a Fly License?" he asked, appearing naive.

Cass looked at him like he had just asked the stupidest question in the world. "No… What do you live under a rock? It's just the easiest way. Of course you can go through flight training and get one… Or if you're really rich you can just buy one." She eyed him. "What, did you get yours through battling gyms?" she asked.

"Me? Yeah!" he said, a bit too enthusiastically. He cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah, of course I did."

Cass opened her mouth to ask more questions but Melanie interrupted. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Can we stop with the spanish inquisition and get something to eat?"

"I agree, I'm craving some chips," said Viktor, hoisting his newly packed up tent onto his back with a strap.

"Where can you buy chips at a restaurant…" asked Damien as Vik and Cass led the way back to the city.

"Chips means 'french fries' in British," Melanie explained, giggling. "Don't worry, you'll catch on eventually."

—

The restaurant was outdoors, and served delicious burgers and fries, or 'chips,' as Viktor continued to call them. Viktor ordered two burgers and four orders of fries, and was eating them by the fistful. Damien watched, losing his appetite for some reason.

"So, Damien, where are you from?" asked Melanie, munching on a salad.

Damien ignored the pain in his gut. "Kanto," he said, masking his emotions. "Viridian City, to be exact."

"Oh, cool!" Melanie said, stabbing her lettuce for another bite. "Did you beat any gyms there?"

"Just one," he said. "The Viridian City gym, obviously." He frowned, poking at his food. "But I needed a change… I wanted to experience something fresh. So I traveled around a little bit, met a few of my partners…" he shrugged, picking up a fry and popping it in his mouth. "But I decided I like Hoenn the best."

Cassidy, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "Do you think we could see your team?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Damien's first instinct was to say no, as he had issues with letting the world see his pokemon. But, he wasn't on a run, and they had to trust him… And they were going to see them eventually. So he nodded, stretching his lips into a smile. And Cassidy, for the first time, smiled back at him.

"Cool," she said. They had light conversation for the rest of their lunch. Viktor turned out to not be as scary as Damien had thought, just protective of the two girls. He was the oldest of their group, being 24 years of age. He was from Sinnoh, but had come to Hoenn because he also said he needed to get away. Cassidy and Melanie acted very weird while he was giving his blurb about his past, with the both of them looking down or away as he talked.

After lunch, they headed to a park to let their pokemon get some exercise before starting their trek to Lavaridge. While on the way, Damien felt his phone vibrate. He felt a chill, hair rising on his arms, as he remembered what the phone was for. He motioned for the others to continue on their way, and he fell back, taking the phone out and answering it.

"How progresses the mission?" asked a familiar voice. It was Vinnie.

"Better than I thought it would have," said Damien, serious, in business mode.

"Good. Good," said the Rocket admin. "Have you found some poor souls to carry you through to the Elite Four?

Damien nodded, keeping his eyes on the others as they continued to walk ahead of him. "Yes, two girls and a big man. One of the girls is on her fifth badge already. They've decided to let me tag along."

"Fifth badge?" asked Vinnie, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Well, you sure got lucky there. That should speed things along quite nicely… I'll make sure you are rewarded for your efforts. The boss is not necessarily in a hurry, but the quicker things play out, the better."

"Am I allowed to ask what this stuff is going to be used for?" Damien asked, curious.

"Sorry, that's classified," Vinnie said over the phone. Damien shrugged to himself.

"Just thought I'd give it a shot," he said. "I'm just the middle man. I normally don't know what I'm retrieving or why. This time should be no different."

"Good man," said Vinnie, pleased with his response. "I'll let you go now, don't want you on the phone too long. I'll be… checking up on you as this progresses. You can expect your reward in the next few days."

Damien was tempted to ask about that too, but he held his tongue. "Sounds good," he said.

He stayed on the phone, hearing only silence, and then a click, as Vinnie hung up. He pulled the phone from his ear, closing it and putting it back in his pocket. He felt uneasy, but shook it off, telling himself it was just the nerves he always felt when he was doing a job. This time, the job was just a bit more serious and intricate.

He jogged to catch up with the others, who didn't ask about his phone call, to his relief. They reached the park, just a small area with a playground, a fountain, and some picnic benches. There were also a few dirt areas that the locals used as unofficial battle fields.

Melanie was the first to send her babies out, eager to share, and let Damien meet them in a setting where they weren't getting beaten to a pulp by rock types.

Before him were three fire types, each in their basic evolution. A torchic, a vulpix, and a ponyta, of course. "This is Jackie, Helga, and you know Bella," she said, introducing them in turn. They weren't shy, and came right up to Damien, who smiled genuinely and patted each of them in turn. They were cute, and Melanie's tails wagged slowly side to side with approval of Damien's reaction to them.

Cassidy was next, eager to show off her 'perfect' pokemon team. She had a full team of six, and they were quite impressive. After she tossed out her pokeballs, they lined up by height, something they clearly had been taught.

The first was Sceptile, which Damien had already had the chance to meet. Then, in order, she was the proud owner of a Houndoom, Kirlia, Rhyhorn, Manectric, and Vaporeon. "As you can see," she said, eager to throw in her two cents. "There are no repeat types in this team. Their abilities and learned moves are all perfectly synched with their respective abilities and personal strengths."

Damien was quite impressed, finding himself doing type match ups in his head. If he was to continue beating Cassidy in battle, he needed to learn her team. They were A grade bred pokemon. They stood perfectly still, as if he were a judge at a cat show, inspecting them for flaws.

"Nice," he said to Cassidy, who beamed at him.

"They're all perfectly EV and IV trained, having perfect stats, and the natures that go along with those stats and they…" Melanie nudged Cassidy in the side, giving her a look, and she stopped rambling. "Anyway, they're the best of their kind," she said proudly.

"What about you, Damien?" Melanie asked, eyes glistening with excitement. "Let's see them!"

He smiled, reaching around to his belt and tossing out their pokeballs, keeping Tyrunt's in his hand. All five of his pokemon appeared in front of them. Zoroark was in her normal form, and stood next to Lucario. Charmeleon, Seviper, and Swellow stood in front of the other two. They were in front of Cassidy's 'perfect' pokemon, analyzing them. The two groups stared at each other, immobile.

"What's your other pokemon?" asked Melanie, curious.

"He's new, just a baby. A fossil I had revived yesterday," he said. "I'm not sure if he would feel comfortable around all these new pokemon and people quite yet… I'll let him out later when we are walking."

The two groups of pokemon were still staring at each other, until Zoroark walked up to Kirlia, holding out a paw. The psychic type eyed her hand, before slowly reaching out to shake it. She smiled, and so did Zoroark, and the two successfully broke the ice. All of the pokemon slowly began to mingle, introducing themselves and showing off a bit.

"I love your charmeleon!" Melanie said, starry eyed, watching him walk around and introduce himself to the others. Damien smiled.

"He was my first pokemon," he said proudly. "And then I got Lucario when he was just a riolu… And then Zoroark right after, when she was a zorua. The two evolved at the same time… it was quite a sight." He smiled, remembering. "And then Swellow and Seviper I caught while settling down in Hoenn." He looked at the pokeball in his hand. "And of course Tyrunt here. I got him yesterday."

"Have you ever thought about nicknaming them?" Melanie asked, genuinely curious. Damien shrugged looking at his team.

"You know, I hadn't… I think I would have to ask them about it one time, to see if it would be something they would want."

Melanie looked shocked. She looked at her three fire types, deep in thought. "I never thought about asking their permission…" she said, frowning.

Damien laughed, startling her. She looked up at him and he grinned. "Your pokemon love you for who you are. I'm sure they love your nicknames you gave them too."

She smiled, feeling better about it. Her ears stood straight up, listening to the pokemon chirping and neighing and barking at each other. Her tails were relaxed, touching the grass below. Damien really looked at her for a second, while she was lost in thought. She had an innate natural beauty. Her blonde hair matched the color of her tails. She was thin, and about a foot or so shorter than he was. Her blouse hung just to her waist, and her leggings had a hole cut meticulously in the back of them for her tails to fit through.

The tails were interesting, for they all stemmed from the same vertebrae. Then, they split off just a couple inches after extending from Melanie's tailbone. Each one seemed to have a mind of its own, yet they reacted to stimuli the same way. When she was scared or shocked, they stood on end, being held above her head and creating a dome. When she was relaxed and happy, as right now, they rested on the ground, each one slightly twitching on its own.

He noticed Viktor watching him looking at Melanie, and he quickly looked away. "So, Viktor, what about your team?" Damien asked, kind of regretting the words as they came out of his mouth. Viktor smiled, darkly.

"Oh, you want to see my team?" he asked, cracking his neck and standing up from the picnic bench. He reached around to his belt, a tattoo of a skull being pierced with a sword on his forearm. Damien felt himself getting nervous. What kind of pokemon would this man have? Damien pictured ghost types, like gengar and dusclops. Or he could have super awesome badass dragons, like salamence and haxorus. Or maybe even a legendary pokemon? Damien gulped, picturing him having a darkrai, and he shuddered.

Viktor smiled, winking at Cassidy, who was laughing at Damien's obvious nervousness. He pulled the pokeballs from his belt, tossing them to the ground. "Come on out, guys!"

Damien flinched as the light flashed, not knowing what to expect. But… It was nothing at all like he had imagined. At all.

"Is this a joke?" he asked, looking around. The two girls were laughing at him, and Viktor scowled.

"Are you saying that my babies are a JOKE?" he asked, with Damien flinching at his tone.

"Um… no?" he said, looking over the big man's team.

The cutest roster of pokemon Damien had ever seen was laid out before him.

There was a pachirisu, adorably holding its tail in front of its face, being very shy. Beside the pachirisu on either side was a delcatty and a togetic, who were chatting with each other. A piplup came up behind the pachirisu, petting the squirrel pokemon on the head. There was also a furret and a clefairy. Damien was just staring, trying so hard not to laugh at the irony.

"You're sure this isn't a joke," he said, directing the question at Melanie. Viktor narrowed his eyes.

"If you have something to say, say it to me," he snapped. He sat down on the picnic table, and his pokemon turned around, noticing him. They all chirped and mewed and squealed seeing him, tackling him on the bench and cuddling as close as possible. He smiled broadly, petting each one of them and talking in a baby voice, kissing them on the head.

Damien was really struggling with his willpower trying not to laugh. "What are their names?" he asked.

As serious as if he were talking about someone dying, Viktor rattled off their names. "This is Buttercup, Snufflekins, Zippy, Bubbles, Princess, and Fluffynuff," he said, referring to togetic, delcatty, pachirisu, piplup, clefairy, and furret respectively.

That's when Damien lost it. He really tried to hold it together, but a little giggle came out, and then he just couldn't stop himself. He laughed so hard he thought he was gonna pee. "I have GOT to know the story behind this," he laughed, losing all fear of Viktor that he might have had.

Viktor sighed, standing up once again, his fluffy adorable pokemon forming a line in front of him. "If you can beat me in a battle… I'll tell you," he said darkly.

Damien snorted. "Are you sure about that? I wouldn't want to hurt them," he said sarcastically.

"No. Try me." Viktor said. Before Damien could agree, Melanie jumped in.

"Hey guys, could we postpone this battle until after church? We are going to be late."

"Church?" Damien asked, surprised. He wondered what he had really gotten himself into. Now he felt like the normal one for once.

"Yes, there's a parable today I don't want to miss," she said urgently.

"It's ninetales day," Cassidy chimed in.

Viktor nodded. "Okay. After church, then we will see if pretty boy really wants to test me."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Damien, more confused than anything. They rounded up their pokemon, sending them into their pokeballs, and making their way back into the city, to the Rustboro church of Arceunism.


	6. Doc: Parable of the Ninetales

There are many myths and parables about the first pokemon and their interactions with the legendary pokemon.

The myth of ninetales is especially important. There was a ninetales who's father was an arcanine. The old arcanine had sold all of his possessions in pursuit of higher knowledge, to separate himself from worldly things. The ninetales, Nichitoro, asked his father "to whom will you give me?" He asked once, twice, and thrice, before his father, annoyed, proclaimed, "you I shall give to Death!"

And so, Nichitoro went in search of Death. He found Death's home, and waited patiently three days and three nights for his return. Death, when he returned, was embarrassed. For he was the lord of the underworld Giratina, and he was not known to be lacking in manners. Hospitality is extremely important, and to leave a guest without proper hospitality for three days is deplorable.

"Because you have waited so patiently for me, and I have not provided you with even a sip of water, you may have three wishes." he told young Nichitoro.

"My first I wish for my father to accept me with open arms when I return, and to forgive my disappearance in search of you, o Death."

"It will be done. What of your other wishes?"

"My second is that I wish to know a proper ritual to appease the gods, so I may teach my village, and they may reach enlightenment and heaven."

And so, Death taught Nichitoro the fire ritual in which to appease the gods. "Build a pyre of stones as tall as you, and just as wide. Place upon it Rawst berries to chill the burn. Cover the berries with the stems of the berry tree, and light the fire whilst declaring your devotion. The fire will burn blue, and this shall appease them. This ritual shall be known as Nichitoro, after you young ninetales."

"And of your last wish?" Death asked.

"I wish to know the secrets of life and death," asked Nichitoro.

"Even the gods themselves have trouble with their understanding of these things. Please do not ask me to reveal them to you." Death said remorsefully.

"I wish to know the secrets," he repeated, standing his ground.

"Please, you may have riches unimaginable. I will make for you a castle that will last 1,000 years. I can make you the ruler of all the land, if you so choose. Just do not make me reveal these things to you."

But Nichitoro was resilient. "I do not want riches. I do not want a castle. I do not want to be the ruler of all the land. I wish to know the secrets of life and death."

"Very well, for I have promised you wishes and wishes I shall grant. Life and death is an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Life persists for all eternity, unless one can achieve enlightenment. The path to enlightenment exists in the discovery of the self and selflessness. Let go of your worldly desires. Give yourself in entirety to others. For he who chooses pleasure is a fool, and he who chooses knowledge shall attain enlightenment. He who chooses worldly things is a fool, and he who chooses to be one with the gods shall attain enlightenment. And you young Nichitoro, have chosen knowledge over riches and castles and power. You, Nichitoro, shall achieve the ultimate destiny!"

When Nichitoro left with his understanding, he gave up his life at home and traveled around the land, teaching what he had learned to all others. Nichitoro's contact with Giratina, lord of the underworld, left him permanently altered. This is why we can see ghostly powers in the ninetales' of today. And this is why ninetales is one of the most holy pokemon. This is the truth and the truth is what we seek.


End file.
